When you are trying to find a babysitter, ask if they have had any training. The Family Centers partner with the local American Red Cross to teach teens how to be a safe babysitter.
Doug and Carol have had it with babysitters.
They’ve had a sitter who set fire to microwave popcorn. Another invited a boyfriend
over to watch a ball game. They’ve found the children awake at midnight or asleep
in front of the television.
The couple invite this kind of trouble. They provide no written rules and very
little guidance of any kind.
Babysitters should be trained. If they haven’t had a formal babysitting course,
it’s up to the parents to prepare them. They need explicit instructions and
rules. And they must understand that babysitting is a job that parents take very
seriously. Before handing your child over to a new, untrained babysitter, have
the sitter spend a short evening with you and go through the evening routine
together.
The best sitters for infants are experienced adults. But no matter what the sitter’s
age, it is a good idea to prepare written instructions covering the house, safety,
and child-care.
Give the babysitter a house tour. Point out the location of all exits, how the locks
operate, where the telephones are. Keep emergency phone numbers at the phone. Provide
a flashlight in case of power outages. Demonstrate the sound of your smoke alarm.
Demonstrate the proper use of appliances.
Also locate first aid supplies and outline fire procedures. Always write down where
you can be reached at all times, phone numbers for neighbors and relatives to call
in a crisis, and the name and number of the children’s doctor. If you will not be
near a phone, arrange to call-in once or twice.
Safety rules should be written down and reviewed with the babysitter, including how
to handle choking, bleeding, falls, burns and suspected poisoning. Infants should
never be left alone on a changing table or bed, even for a second, and older
children should never be left alone in the bathtub. Strangers should never be allowed
to enter the house.
Also write down child-care instructions, including what children should eat, how to
prepare the meal, bedtimes, bedtime routine, and bathing instructions. List any
medicines that are to be given and the dosages. Don’t forget to explain the rules
for disciplining the children.
House rules for the sitter also are critical. For example, no visitors, especially
boyfriends, unless you’ve agreed on it in advance.
Cultivating a babysitter is important work for parents, and good sitters should be
rewarded with your respect, personal gratitude, and perhaps a generous tip. The
payoff is having a trustworthy sitter to call on – and peace of mind – for years
to come.
This column is written by Robert B. McCall, Co-Director of the
Office of Child Development and Professor of Psychology, and is provided as a
public service by the Frank and Theresa Caplan Fund for Early Childhood Development
and Parenting Education.